The Whole Package
by litfratbrat
Summary: AU: Jess is also injured in Teach Me Tonight
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Whole Package

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Jess is hurt more than we thought in Teach Me Tonight.

The car smashed into the bench/telephone pole. Jess's vision went white for an eternity, before the world came sharply back into focus. Rory. Jess quickly looked over at his blue eyed friend, who currently had her eyes squeezed shut. She clutched her wrist to her chest, her breath coming out in harsh gasps.

Jess forced himself to function. He took off her seat belt carefully.

"Rory, are you alright?" He asked, his usual speech form failing him. He tried to make his sentence very clear to her, saying all the words slowly and perfectly.

"My arm. It-it hit the..dashboard." She informed him, her voice tight with pain.

"Anything else? Anything at all?" He pressed. When she gave him the negative in response, he carefully reached into her pocket and retrieved her cell phone. "I'm calling an ambulance," his vision went white, and he was sure he was dead. He couldn't feel from the waist down, but he knew he had to do this before he passed out. When his vision came back, he called the emergency number. The dispatcher told him there would be a paramedic there shortly.

"You're gonna be ok," He assured Rory a few times, focusing solely on saying the worlds. He felt like he was gripping a piece of grass to keep from falling into space. Making sure Rory was alright was his grass.

"I know," She said, a tear running down her cheek. She brushed it away impatiently.

"Sorry," He told her. She didn't reply. The sound of ambulance sirens grew louder.

The paramedics asked them vigorous questions before attempting to remove them from the car. Eventually satisfied that there wasn't an issue with removing them, they carefully helped them out.

"Aw, God, kid," One of the paramedics said, staring at Jess in horror once they had a better look at him. Jess stared blankly, his knees slowly giving out on him. The man clutched his upper arms as he moved downward. Somewhere in the background, Rory was screaming. Jess felt nothing. The assembled crew threw him onto his back in the ambulance. Jess stared blankly at the ceiling. Rory was sobbing hysterically and screaming something that sounded foreign to his ears. The paramedics were talking to him, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. Rory was being taken care of, and that's what mattered. The blackness that formed around the edge of his mind took him completely.

"Mom, I need you to be calm, ok? Really calm,"

"Rory. What is it?" Lorelai's voice lost its jubilant tone with frightening speed.

"Jess and I went out for ice cream, alright? An animal- I think it was a deer- jumped in from of the road. We swerved and hit a pole. The car is totaled, but I am FINE, alright? They say I only have a fractured wrist. I am OK."

Lorelai froze, speechless. "I'm gonna kill Jess. Flay him alive- destroy him!"

"Where are you?" She said aloud.

"Hartford General Hospital," Rory replied.

"I'll be right there," She slammed the phone down and, barely pausing to grab a coat, ran to Luke's diner.

Luke was there, predictably. He was sitting behind the counter, counting money.

"Damn that hoodlum of yours, Luke!" 

"What?"

"He- Rory- ice cream, and-and a deer! And now they are in the hospital and I'm gonna kill Jess!" Lorelai screeched, gesturing wildly with her hands, so vigorously that at one point Luke was forced to move his head to avoid being clobbered by the over zealous Mom.

"Lorelai! Slow. Down. What about a hospital? And what does ice cream-" Lorelai sighed in frustration.

"Luke! Rory and Jess went out to get ice cream, and a deer came at them, and they- He! I bet Jess was driving! He swerved and hit a telephone pole! Rory is in the hospital because of that JERK!"

"Is-is she ok?" Luke asked, flabbergasted.

"No, Luke! She's in the hospital _with a fractured wrist_!"

"And what about Jess- is he hurt?"

"No, He's not hurt! He did the hurting!"

Luke's mind reeled.

"Why did you do this!"

"Do what?"

"Bring him here! He nearly killed my daughter tonight, Luke! Everybody hated him, everybody knew he was trouble but you wouldn't listen and you wouldn't send him home and now my daughter is in the hospital! Why didn't you make him leave?"

"He's my nephew, Lorelai, I have an obligation to take care of him, ok?"

"Where are you going?"

"I- I don't even know if the kid is ok. I gotta go, Lorelai," Luke said, and left the diner. Lorelai ran out after him.

"Well, if you're driving to the hospital, take me along."

Luke didn't respond, letting her know that he wasn't exactly happy with her at the moment. Luke's cell phone rang, and he let out a sigh.

"You have a cell phone?" Lorelai sniffed, as she was crying at this point.

"Yes," Luke grudgingly admitted. "For emergencies only. Answer it for me, will you? I'm trying to drive." He handed her the black cell phone, and she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is Mr. Danes there?"

"Uhm, he's directed me to take this call for him, could you just-"

"Please give him this message: His nephew Jess Mariano is in the hospital, he's been in a car accident- I'm afraid it's serious, and that Mr. Danes should come to Hartford General Hospital at his earliest convenience. It's an emergency."

"Right, I will. Thank you." She ended the call. The urgency in the mans voice set her on edge. Jess wasn't actually.. _hurt_, was he?

"What did he say?"

"Uhm, Luke- Jess's in the hospital. I guess he was hurt too-"

"You _guess_?" Luke repeated incredulously.

"The guy said it was an emergency- that-that it was serious." She stammered. Luke pushed the car to 60 mph, ignoring the white '35 miles per hour' sign on the side of the road. Lorelai's eyes widened and she buckled her seat belt quickly.

Lorelai rushed into Rory's room, with Luke- who had been denied any information past the fact that Jess was in the ER- closely following.

After Lorelai was sure Rory was alright, Luke finally brought himself to ask it.

"Jess- what happened to him? No ones telling me anything." Luke was pale and shaking and desperate.

"Oh god, Luke." Rory let out a choked sob when she was asked it. "He had- a- my windshield wiper- it broke off in the crash and went threw his chest."

End Chapter.  
R & R


	2. Mark

Chapter Two Starts NOW

Luke stared at the small television blankly. On it was a live showing of Jess's surgery. There were several medical students huddled around him (and it), and they kept making various 'oooh' and 'aaah' sounds as the surgery progressed. It made Luke a bit sick, actually. Eventually, he blew up at the students, and was forced to leave the observation place.

"Hey, Luke," Lorelai greeted. "Uh- I thought you were watching Jess's...thing."

"I was. I sort of started yelling at the students," Luke said, trying to keep his tone light, but no humor reached his eyes.

"Uhm." Lorelai said. _Something witty..something witty.. "_Stupid medical students. Too smart for their own good. We ought to shove a wind shield wiper threw _their _stomach and see how they like it." Lorelai's attempt at humor failed, and Luke only paled more at wind shield wiper comment.

"Good lord, have you no tact, women?" Rory gasped. She apologized fiercely to Luke. He gave her a strained smile.

"No, it's ok," They lapsed into silence.

Luke busied himself by doing little things like fetching the girl's coffee and finding pens so he and Lorelai could sign Rory's cast. Lorelai was forging the signature of various famous people, much to Rory's amusement, when a doctor stepped into the waiting room and approached them.

"Ah, Mr. Danes," The doctor said, glancing over a bunch of papers with charts and medical jargon on them. "Your nephew will be fine. The wind shield wiper was successfully removed, and, by some miracle, he only sustained minor internal injuries. His left leg is also broken, and we've got him a crutch and a cast. He should stay here a day or two- for observation."

"Can I see him?"

"Yes, he just woke up a few minutes ago," The doctor replied. "That's pretty strange in itself. The stuff we gave him should have kept him knocked out well into the night."

"Jess is stubborn like that." Lorelai chimed in with a smile.

Luke walked slowly into Jess's hospital room. The kid laid there, staring at the ceiling. Luke coughed to make his presence known. Jess sat up as best he could, wincing.

"Is Rory ok?" He asked immediately. Luke blinked.

"Yeah, she's fractured her wrist, but otherwise she's fine. She's out with Lorelai in the hall." Jess visibly relaxed at that. "What about you?"

"Ah, I'm fine," Jess dismissed._ I always am_, he continued in thought.

"Jess," Luke said incredulously. "A wind shield wiper went threw your mid-section, and you're _'fine'_?"

Jess paled dramatically. "Is that what happened?" Christ! Did they not tell the kid--?

"They- they didn't _tell you?_" Luke asked in shock. Jess shook his head silently.

"No. No one told me anything." There was a pause. Jess carefully moved a hand onto his stomach and moved it around a bit, as though he were expecting to suddenly find a hole in himself. Luke swallowed hard, and continued.

"Well- you also have a broken leg. Your left one. But your fine." Luke continued. Jess nodded to himself.

"So, when do I get out of here?"

"They said in about a day and a night."

"Oh. Well, tonight you could pack my stuff, and Thursday I'll go." Luke blinked.

"Go where?"

"Back to New York," Jess said in an 'are you stupid' tone.

"Why would you go back to New York?"

"Why wouldn't I? I just crashed Rory's car, the car her boyfriend made for her, and broke her wrist! You're not sending me home after that?"

"Of course not, Jess! It was an accident. There was a deer thing and you swerved. Rory probably would've done the same thing if she were driving."

"But she wasn't driving," Jess said quietly. He lay back again, closing his eyes and sighing. "I think I'm gonna... sleep or something. Tell Lorelai I'm sorry." Luke left after softly telling Jess good night.

"What did he say?" Rory asked, glancing up from where Lorelai was writing Trent Resnor on her arm.

"Just that he was fine, and he told me to tell you he's sorry," He said, directing the last bit at Lorelai, who blinked in surprise.

"Oh," She said slowly. There was a long pause. "Me and Rory are gonna head home, get some sleep, pamper Rory endlessly with lots of sweets."

"Mooom," Rory groaned as Lorelai made a half-assed attempt to pick her up and carry her to the car.

"No 'mmooom'-ing me, hun. We are renting Charlie and the Chocolate factory, and buying lots and lots of marshmallows and..." Lorelai's voice faded from the waiting room as she and Rory left. Luke stood by watching them leave, the waiting room feeling very empty.

Luke walked slowly back to Jess's room. He couldn't just leave the kid. He snuck into the room, careful not to wake Jess up. Jess was muttering in his sleep.

"I don't even know you. Please stop," It was a mix between fear and annoyance. Luke frowned, and walked to the other side of the bed. A voice came from outside the door.

"I am family. I'm his brother." The voice protested a nurse. The nurse reluctantly agreed. Luke's eyes widened and he hid in the shadows of the room. The door opened to reveal an older looked version of Jess, with a bit longer hair and a different air about him. It was a lot less threatening and sarcastic than Jess's.

"Psst. Hey, Kid." The young man said, giving Jess a light punch on the shoulder. Jess's eyes snapped open.

"Jesus Christ, Mark!'' Jess exclaimed, gasping. "You scared the living-"

"I know, I know, keep it down, will ya?" He said, glancing over his shoulder. "These nurses are lookin' to kick me out."

"They can't. You're family," Jess assured him.

"Welfare of the patient goes beyond family," The other boy cited, rolling his eyes. He frowned and looked down at Jess again. "How is the patient, anyway?"

"Ah, He'll live. He's faced worse stuff than this." Jess said dismissively.

"Oh, yeah? How many gang members have mugged you by shoving wind shield wipers threw your guts?" Jess flinched.

"Er, two?" Mark glared at him. "Alright, none. How'd you hear?"

"I was watching you get cut open on the monitor out there." Mark informed him, jerking his head over at the door.

"They had my surgery on the monitor?" Jess asked incredulously, sounding a bit disturbed.

"Yea. You'd think they'd have some kind of patient thing you have to sign before they start the televising."

"The revolution will not be televised," The brothers said in unison, making a hand gesture at each other before chuckling slightly.

"How've you been, kid? I heard that crazy bitch Liz sent you to some crazy sleepy hallow town or something."

"Stars Hallow. I swear, this town is out of is crazy. Once I'm out of here, they're probably going to lynch me in the town square. But enough of me. How have you been, big brother? Last I saw of you, you were up in the mountains chasing down that red haired girl-"

"Let's not bring that up." Mark said quickly, blushing slightly. "I got an apartment in Philly. I got a steady job- I needed a break from the nomad style livingafter our fight. I'm setting up a little something. I'm hoping to start an independent, I don't know, center type deal that all purpose so I can rent it out to people for various things. Bands for practice, literary groups, protestors." He said this in a And that's also why I came back here." Jess raised an eyebrow, and Luke leaned forward a bit.

"I've come to take you back to Philadelphia with me."

End Chapter

R & R

A/N:

After reviewing all of my notes, and some of your reviews, I had noted that I had dug myself into a hole with the paranormal happenings plotline. It's true that I am a fanatic when it comes to the oogedy-boogedy, and I always end up trying to incorporate it into my stories, even if that wasn't the original intent. My original intent for this story was- hey, what if Jess was hurt in the accident, and his whole mysterious past comes to light. Maybe he will have a better relationship with everyone! And then suddenly I'm spewing nonsense about chupacabra's. / Sorry about that, but I've re written a bit of my story, switched things around, toyed with the plot-hole that this stories become. All of you non-ghost fans can relax, I'm fixing everything: D


	3. Conversations and Avoided Fights

a/n: If you've been reading this story already and were a bit thrown with the ghost crap in the last chapter, go back and reread the chapter, starting with where Mark came in, and the authors note at the end.

Chapter Three

"I've come to take you back to Philadelphia with me."

"No. Really?" Jess asked weakly, laying back farther.

Threw the apparently brothers conversation, Luke had marveled at how young Jess seemed when he talked to his older brother. It seemed as though all of Jess's defenses melted away when he was around his brother. And this Mark character didn't seem all too bad. Luke thought back to the fight comment he had made. He didn't want to imagine how any kind of fight between the two would end up.

Luke still couldn't get over the brother part, and each time he thought about it, his head hurt. Around the age of 16, three years before she had Jess, Luke recalled that all of Liz's friends had started teasing her about her weight- calling her pregnant and stuff. Luke, with a growing sense of dread, wondered if she really had been pregnant. It happened about a year after she'd met Jimmy. Luke's face twisted up at the thought of the smirking teen that he had first met so many years ago.

"Don't worry,'' Mark laughed vaguely."I don't need you making any decisions right this second. Let's play catch up for a while first. Tell me, do you like it at sleepy hallow much?"

"Stars Hallow," Jess corrected absently, ignoring his brothers grin. "And- Mark I swear to god they've got a porcelain unicorn shop in town!"

"No way!" Mark laughed. Jess joined him, but quickly cut himself off, gasping in pain.

"Man- I still can't get over it. The wind shield wiper really did-" He cut himself off, staring at his mid section in awe. Mark's eyes were full of concern briefly, and then he continued the conversation.

"And the people?"

"Completely out of their minds. I like a few people though." Jess said, shrugging.

"Oh? Like the arm-in-cast girl in the lobby?" Mark asked slyly. Jess winced.

"Yeah, she's- she _was _a good friend. She was in the accident with me. I broke her arm." Jess said slowly. When Mark opened his mouth to say something, Jess waved his hand absently. "I also like Uncle Luke, who I have been staying with. And no," He said when Marcus opened his mouth again. "He owns a diner. In no way shape or form is he a lumberjack."

Mark groaned in faux disappointment. When they were young, they stole a photo book from Liz before she could burn it with the rest of her pictures after Frank left her for the third time. There were only a few pictures in it, much to their disappointment, and it was all 'family members'. It had a lot of photos of their grandfather, and a lot of an annoyed looking youngish man in flannel and a baseball cap who scowled at the camera.

On the back of one, in Liz's scrawling handwriting, were the words, "My Brother Luke, 1994". They called him Lumberjack Luke, even when they'd discovered that he was their uncle. They weren't the most respectful children. Hell, they weren't the most respectful teenagers, either.

"And he treats you well?" Mark asked, pulling out one of the photo's of Luke that he kept in the front pocket of his leather jacket, next to his photograph of his grandfather. He fiddled with the beat up upper left corner absently.

"Very. He tries really hard to- I don't know. Take care of me? I think he feels guilty about Liz being such a flake. He gave me his bed when my blow up bed broke under him. He's nice and everything. A little surly, and isn't exactly the kind to open up and spill his guts, but.. he tries. That's more than I can say about a lot of people who've 'taken care of us'." Jess said slowly, taking the photo from Mark and staring at it. "He didn't even try to kick me out after the accident. I mean, he might just be waiting til I'm no longer hospitalized to do it, but I really don't think he will."

Mark grinned. "He sounds sweet."

"He is in love with the cast girl's mother, Lorelai."

"_Alluring_?" He snickered.

"Yeah- I thought it was amusing too. Lorelai isn't so bad, either. Completely insane, but fun, even if she wants to kill me right about now for breaking her daughters arm."

"Oh! That black haired girl out there, who was signing the girls cast. She's not her _mother, _is she?"

"She is. Don't act so surprised. Liz had you when she was 16, too."

"Yeah, but that girl out there is so un-Liz like. She's got it totally together; even if she signs her daughters cast 'Gorbachev."

"Yeah. She's a bit crazy. She named her daughter after herself. Rory- short for Lorelai. She claimed it was a feminist thing. Luke totally has a thing for her."

"Anyone else?"

"Ah, well, there's Kirk. Who named his cat Kirk." Jess listed. "He actually gave me the cat- I hope Luke doesn't find out. Kirk's mother claimed to be allergic to it, even after they'd had it for a solid year, and threatened to dump it in the local lake. He said no one else would take it, since it bites and it's got a growth problem that makes it look like this little kitten thing forever."

"And you couldn't let a poor little kitty die, could you? Mariano, you still have that saving-people thing, even after all these years." Mark marveled. "You know what kind of trouble it gets you into."

"Of course I do. I didn't get kicked out of Liz's for nothing." Jess murmured bitterly. He shifted. "I find some of the characters in Stars Hallow amusing and yet not to the point of annoying. Miss Patty, this crazy old large woman, has had quite a sex life in her day, and she's not shy to share it with you, even if your a ten year old girl in her ballet class."

"Jesus," Mark chuckled. "Sounds interesting."

"It is. Then there's lane who- you'd love her- she's the teenage Korean girl version of Smith."

"The record store guy? But he's a total freak- an encyclopedia of music! You better hope she lives up to that comparison."

"She will, if you stick around long enough to meet her. There's an eternally annoying figure named Taylor, who is like a poster boy for fascism." Jess smiled.

"My favorite part of the town is the little independent book store. They have a great sale every year, and I bought books for like 35 cents. And a little bridge out on this lake, not too far from the diner. I was pushed into that lake by Luke once, actually." Marcus's eyebrows flew up. "Ah- I sort of had it coming. I was acting like a real jerk."

"Acting?" Mark joked, and ducked the playful swat that came at his head. The door opened again, and Dean slowly slunk in. Mark ducked into the shadows, observing the scene in a cat like poised fashion. Luke held his breath, hoping he wouldn't be found, since Jess's older sibling was only a few feet away from him.

"Jess, I'm gonna kill you." He informed Jess in a slow, low voice, breathing heavily threw his nostrils.

"I'd probably have it coming." Jess conceded slowly. Any happiness that had found its way onto his face had departed as soon as Dean entered. Luke swallowed. Wasn't he going to defend himself at all?

"You would." Dean nodded.

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Going to kill me."

"I don't think so." Dean said, and sat down in Mark's vacated seat heavily. Jess took in a breath.

"Look man. I'm really, really sorry. A deer ran out into the road, and I swerved the car to avoid it. We hit a pole and Rory's arm hit the dash. I'm sorry about her arm and your car."

"I talked to Gypsy. She actually said that the front is only damaged. I won't have to replace the engine or anything." Dean said absently. "And I'll probably have to replace the left wind shield wiper." Dean stared at Jess for a while.

"Well, that's good. It's a nice car."

"That it is." Dean agreed.

"I was a real jerk to you, ok? I know. I'm sorry about that too. There was no excuse for it."

"I'm not forgiving you," Dean said slowly, eyeing Jess seriously. "But I won't strangle you, either."

"Good to know." Dean let out a long sigh before standing up.

"I wasn't exactly Stars Hallow Single Man Welcoming Wagon, either." Dean admitted, looking down. "Truce?"

He offered his hand. Jess shook it.

"I'm sorry,'' He repeated firmly. Dean nodded and left. Jess lay back and closed his eyes. Mark stood from his hiding spot and sat where Dean had been.

"I was afraid I'd have to bust in there and save your ass," Mark joked. When he got no acknowledgement at his attempt at humor, he frowned. "You don't look too good, little buddy. I'll head out, find a motel or something in sleepy hallow to stay in. Don't look for me, I'll get into contact with you." With that, Jess's older brother ruffled his hair affectionately and left.

Jess, sure he was alone, shifted in the bed and let out a low whimper/groan. He bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood, and closed his eyes tightly. He constricted in pain, and moaned again. He took a few gasping breaths, and soon relaxed, even though he was shaking still.

Positive his nephew was asleep, Luke snuck quietly out of the room. He let out a huge sigh of relief when he was clear of the room. He was sure he was going to get away with hiding in the shadows like he did, when a voice startled him.

"Jess's spidey sense may not be up to par, but _I _knew someone was sneaking around that room. I could hear you breathing. It was a bit disgusting, actually." Mark commented with a smirk forming on his face from where he sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs.

End Chapter

R & R I need encouragement if I want to keep posting this stuff.

A/N: I know a LOT of you are gonna be mad that Dean and Jess (even in his state of health) didn't go on and duke it out just now. But y'know, I completely despise stories where Dean is a complete jerk around this period of time in the Gilmore-verse. Truth be told, he wasn't a jerk until around the fourth & fifth season, and it was after so much heart break. I have a lot of sympathy for Dean. I mean, what kind of guy, after finding out all that crap in the episode after teach me tonight goes and invites her in for dinner? That takes a lot of goodness. I won't keep them together, but I won't make Dean into and OOC jerk off who hits Rory and beats up a kid in the hospital. It's just not Dean. Even if I don't like him and Rory together. I think I may rewrite that bit with Dean later, cos it was too friendly. But then again, I've got an 'earlier..' segment planned for the next chapter. It explains a lot, I think.


	4. Filler

Chapter Four Starts Now

Earlier...

Rory walked ahead of Lorelai, who was weighed down by the huge paper bag filled with various junk foods. Rory stopped suddenly, and Lorelai crashed into her.

"What is it, sweets?" She asked. She looked over her daughters shoulder. There was her car, crashed into a telephone pole. The drivers side was crushed entirely. Dean was standing next to the car, scratching the back of his neck and frowning, staring at the drivers seat. He turned and saw her, his face breaking out into a worried smile.

"God! Rory- I came home early and saw the car- are you OK?" He asked, scanning her for injuries.

"Don't get mad." She told him immediately, holding up her arms. "Jess was driving-"

"JESS!" Dean shouted, eyes popping comically.

"Calm down, please." Rory said in a calming tone. "A deer came out into the road, and we swerved to avoid it. We hit a pole. But I'm ok, Jess is ok, the deer is ok."

"Is- is that Jess's blood?" He asked, looking back over at the car. Rory was close enough now to see the nearly ridiculous amount of blood that covered the driver's seat. Rory let out an anguished noise and buried her face in her mother's chest. Lorelai stood in shock, having not fully comprehended the damage done to Jess before this moment.

"Yes, it's his." Lorelai answered, rubbing circles on Rory's back. "The wind shield wiper- it went threw him." She finished. Dean sat down heavily on the sidewalk, and was silent for a moment before standing up again.

"I'm going to the hospital to... _discuss_ this with Jess." He muttered tightly. "I'm glad you're OK." He hugged Rory lightly again and walked off.

"Dean! Don't..." Rory called, searching for the right words for a second. Dean paused to stair. "He made sure I was ok. He called the paramedics and everything. He- He didn't even notice he was hurt until the medics told him." Dean stared for a long moment, then nodded slowly and walked off.

Now..

"Yah caught me," Luke said guiltily, sitting down next to the young man, who nodded.

"Yup. So, you're Uncle Luke, huh?" Mark said.

"Yeah."

"Nice to meet you." Mark said, shaking his hand. "Thanks for taking care of Jess."

"If you want to crash in Jess's room for the night, you're welcome to it." Luke offered, standing after a brief and comfortable silence.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. I'm near broke after the trip down here." Mark muttered gratefully, standing up with Luke.

"Alright, my trucks in parking lot B."

The walk to the car was very quiet, and so was half the drive home until finally, Luke got the courage to ask it.

He took in a breath. "So. Jess has a brother."

"He didn't tell you?" Mark asked in surprise.

"He doesn't tell me much of anything." Luke grudgingly admitted.

"Oh. Well, yes. I'm his brother." Mark conceded. That conversation was surprisingly painless, and ended there.

They arrived at the diner shortly after that, and Mark set up camp in Jess's room. It was strange talking to Mark, as he put down his duffel bag and fished out a cd player. He could be Jess's twin, and yet when you talked to him, you knew the difference.

Mark was somehow less defensive than Jess. He seemed calmer, and like he cared more, and was much more open about caring than Jess ever was. By this, Luke could tell that the two brothers had had different life experiences. Jess had probably been betrayed one too many times. Hurt more. Either Mark had somehow avoided those offenses of life, or he had dealt with them and made peace with them.

That gave Luke a small glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, Jess could come to terms with his own past.

"Alright, thanks. See you in the morning." Mark said, turning off his light and laying in Jess's bed. Luke pretended for a moment that Mark was Jess, that this whole night never happened and Jess was here, home, safe and warm and uninjured and sarcastic and whole. That everything was all right. He quit pretending after a moment and left the room, closing the door lightly behind him.

End Chapter

Sorry that it's a bit short


	5. Dreams

Chapter Five Starts Now- With A Patented Lindz Dream Sequence

_"Damnit, Mark!" Jess shouts at him, 15 here, angry and tired and betrayed all at once. Jess couldn't even be bothered to make his face emotionless, like he usually does when they duke it out. "You always do this! Always!"_

_"Jess..." Mark protests weakly. What could he say? Jess was right. _

_"How can you leave me alone with them again?" He asks, spitting the word 'them' out venomously. "You promised me, Mark!"_

_"I.." Mark couldn't defend himself. He was standing there in front of his little brother, who had caught him red handed. _

_"Last time you left, you said you wouldn't ever leave again! You said it! You promised me!" Jess's anguished face stared at him pleadingly. Mark and Jess both know that he'd resorted to childish arguing, and it hurt Mark to think that he'd reduced his brother to this. "She's back with Frank again, Mark! You know how bad he is.." _

_"I have to go, Jess." Mark said pleadingly back. Jess's mouth opened to continue the long played out argument, but suddenly, Mark's cell phone went off. He blinked in surprise, his duffel bag- half packed and opened, slipped from his hands and onto the ground. He'd played this scene out in his head a hundred times before. This was something new. Jess was staring at him. Mark's hands clumsily gripped his black cell phone, opening it and pressing it against his ear._

_As the voice on the other end spoke, Jess lipped the voices words silently in front of him, his anguished expression never once leaving his face. "Is this Mark Mariano speaking? It is? You've been listed under a Jess Mariano's emergency contact list- I'm afraid there's been an accident..."_

Mark sat up straight in bed suddenly, clutching his chest instinctually. Realizing he had only dreamed it, he slowly eased himself back onto Jess's bed. He glanced at the clock- 9 am. He was surprised at how late he'd slept, but at the same time knew that it was due to emotional stress and travel. Mark rolled out of the bed, and got to his feet.

He changed into some fresh (_ok, not really all that fresh. More like 'only been worn twice since last washed'_) clothes. He brushed his teeth, washed off his face, and came down to the diner. There he met the sight of a near full diner, bustling with life. His uncle was arguing with a bearded man.

"Damnit, Taylor. He had nothing to do with your missing egg plants!" Luke looked.. broken? He seemed tired and sad, and wasn't putting up much of a fight. Mark thought hard. Taylor? Fascist? Ah.

"You hoodlum! Where are my egg plants!" Taylor shouted at him. 

"Look man, I didn't take any egg plants." Mark protested, holding his hands out defensively, eyes wide. Luke laughed slightly, knowing Taylor had mistook him for his brother. He wondered vaguely if anyone had taken the time to ever really_ look_ at Jess and be able to tell the difference between him and Mark. His question was answered when Lane approached them, smiling.

"Jess! You're out of the hosp- hey. You're not Jess." Lane murmured, frowning slightly at Mark, who scowled in a freakishly Jess-like way.

"I know I'm not Jess. Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? And who are you?" He asked rudely. Lane flinched. He sighed. "Sorry, it's been a rough day. Wait-" Short, only Korean teen in Stars Hallow-" You're not Lane Kim, are you?"

"That'd depend on who you are. Ian McKaye? Yes, I'm Lane Kim. Barry Manilow? No, and I've never heard of such a girl." Lane said unabashedly. Mark smiled. He liked her already.

"You dig Minor Threat, or are you a Fugazi-lover?"

"Die-hard Fugazi fan, sorry to disappoint. And you are...?"

_Totally in love with you. "_Mark Mariano." They shook hands.

"Lane Kim!" Lane's mother growled from Luke's doorway. Lane flashed him an apologetic smile.

"Coming, Mama." She left with a wave shortly after.

"I'm having a friend watch the diner, and I'm going to visit Jess. Coming?" Luke asked while pulling a jacket on.

"Of course."

They arrived at 9 30 am sharp, the time when visiting hours started. Luke and Mark walked in to the room slowly, and watches as Jess writhed on the bed and moan in his sleep.

_16 year old Jess Mariano ran threw the streets at an impossibly fast rate. A bullet careened over his shoulder and hit the side of a building. Jess forced himself to go faster, his legs burning. A strangled groan made its way from his mouth as his calves felt like they were being torn apart. But he had to keep running. Another bullet missed him by about a foot and a half. _

_People stood on the streets, surprised, but not doing anything to help. Not doing anything to stop his pursuer, a drug dealer who was convinced Jess owed him money. No one would stop the man. After he'd killed Jess, no one would dare com forward to identify him as the killer. Jess was all alone and he knew he was going to die._

_It was only 5 pm, but it was already dark. Another loud _crack _resounded as the man shot another bullet at Jess. Jess knew instantly that he had been hit somewhere, but didn't pause to think or figure out where he'd been hit. He just kept running. The man was gaining on him, and he prayed._

_Oh god, oh god, oh god oh god _**_ohgodohgodohgod! _**

_His mind was blank, and his mouth filled with a metallic taste. Adrenalin. Where was his brother? Another _crack _resounded, and he felt a bullet skim past his neck, staking some skin with it. Silent tears fell down his face as he ran, since his eyes were burning from lack of blinking. He tripped, and let out a strangled scream- _

_"MARK!" '_

Mark jerked suddenly as his little brother yelled for him. Jess jerked away, sitting up, and letting out a yelp, and then laying back down again. His left hand gripped his stomach area, and his jaw clenched.

"Buddy, hey- are you ok?" Mark asked, leaning over Jess. Jess's heart raced, the dream/memory still too fresh in his mind. His hands shook uncontrollably, and Mark clasped his hands around Jess's. "Jess! Get a grip!" Jess flinched slightly, and sat up.

"Jesus," He murmured weakly, wiping his brow. "I thought I was over that." Luke stood back and watched the pair awkwardly.

"You know there's no way in hell you're getting off with not telling me what that was about, right?" Mark asked harshly, sitting down heavily. Jess swallowed and nodded, his face becoming emotionless again.

"Ah- About a year after you left, Mike-"

"86th street Mike or 103rd street Mike?" Mark interrupted.

"86th street Mike." Jess replied. "He was convinced I owed him money, and he decided to try and get it back." He shrugged and revealed no more.

"How bad were you hurt?" Mark asked, tight lipped and guilty-faced.

"I got shot in the guts, but I was ok. I tripped when I was running from him, and he tripped over me. I wrestled the gun off him. It was ok. I was ok." Jess replied, in full shut down mode. His face was freakishly emotionless as he tried to convince the people in the room of his 'ok-ness'. Luke quietly exited the room.

Outside, Luke leaned against the hallway vending machine. He really didn't know anything about his nephew's life, and, he realized with growing horror he didn't _want_ to know. Jess- the skinny seventeen year old kid who was sent here by his mom- had been _shot _before.

He thought to all the other teens of that age he knew. Rory, who's worst injury has been a fractured wrist. Who's main thought in life is going to college- Harvard. Who's never even _met_ a drug dealer before. Dean, on the basketball team, working at Dooses Market as a bag boy. Luke shook his head slowly, and walked back into the room.

End

Hope not too

short/sappy for you

don't worry, jess is still jess


	6. Going

Chapter Six Starts Now

Jess was well enough to leave the hospital three weeks later. Luke wasn't surprised at how long it took for him to be released. Luke had 'accidentally' stumbled upon Cat Kirk and returned it to the real Kirk. Mark had bought a futon couch/bed with the money he earned in tips while working at the diner and had set it up in Jess's room. Luke had known when he first watched Mark and another man struggle up the steps with the large furniture that Mark was going to see this threw til Jess was 100 recovered.

Luke had visited Jess very frequently. Jess never said much, and most of their conversations consisted of small talk. But even while Jess's injuries recovered, his general health seemed to decline. He was thinner, weaker. He fell asleep often and didn't look well in general.

Luke headed down the apartment stairs. He had come up several times that morning to make perfectly sure everything in Jess's room looked right. He wasn't sure why he was so obsesed with how comfortable the room was, but he was and that's what mattered. He had made Jess's bed, and cleaned up the small mess that Mark had left behind that morning.

When he arrived, he rolled his eyes at the sight that met him. Mark was leaning against the counter, smirking at Lane Kim, blatantly flirting with her. Lane was talking a mile a minute, never once taking her eyes off the clock above Mark's head.

"Ok, well, I have 30 seconds left, so can I have that CD now?" She asked quickly, twitching all over the place. Mark handed it over with painful slowness, smirking. Luke rolled his eyes again at their games. Her hands clasped it and she took off, shouting "Thank you so much, you are God! Give me a call at 2:34 and 47 seconds. Say hey to Jess for me, bye!"

Mark smiled and nodded. Luke gave himself a second to decipher the message before giving up, shaking his head.

"C'mon Romeo." Luke said, jerking his head towards the door. Mark grinned at him. "Time to get your little brother."

They walked with a barely constrained skip in their step to Jess's hospital bed. The boy was paler than there last visit, and was in a strange half-sleeping state. Their buoyant mode faded, and Mark solemnly leaned over Jess.

"Kid? You awake?" When Jess's eyes fluttered open, he continued. "Are you sure your up to coming home?" He asked in concern, doubt flooding his face. Jess's eyes widened.

"Yea, I'm up to it. I'm just a little tired. I didn't get much sleep last night," He explained. At Mark's frown, he suppressed a sigh and forced his look to be clear and bright. _And enter lie, stage left._ "I was excited about finally getting out of this place. I am really starting to hate hospitals."

"I've always hated them, too." Luke said, probing Jess. The kid seemed off. "I'm gonna go talk to the doctors," He left, glancing over his shoulder as Mark pulled out a paper back novel and handed it to Jess, who grinned and took it in his shaking hands.

"Mr. Danes, your nephews injuries are at the point of healing without hospital assistance. His recent decline in health is just a normal cold, or more likely just being due to being bed ridden for this long." At Luke's still doubtful face, the doctor continued. "In fact, I think being out of this hospital will do him some good. If you're still worried after a few weeks, you're welcome to have him looked at."

Luke accepted the crutches and various medicines, and headed back to Jess's room. Jess was clothed in his regular clothes, and was sitting on the edge of his bed. Thankfully, he had always worn baggy pants, and his cast was invisible. Jess's clean green t shirt hung off him slightly, making Luke frown at the new evidence of weight loss. Jess had his head in his hands.

"Jess?"

"Just dizzy." He sat for a moment longer, getting his bearings. Luke got the impression that Jess had just tried to get up for the first time in a while.

Mark swooped down upon his hunched over brother, giving Luke a look. Luke came over and got the other side of Jess and helped Mark haul him to his feet. Jess swayed at first, but soon was still again. Luke frowned as he felt Jess tremble beneath him. Jess leaned on Luke a bit, and the helped him to the truck.

"Alright," Luke began to help Jess into the truck when Jess froze. "Jess? Get in."

_Flashback_

_"Get it!" Bobby ordered a fourteen year old Jess from his position inside the drivers side. He was messing with the wires underneath the steering system._

_"Bobby. I. Am. Not. Stealing. A. Car. With. You." Jess said firmly, walking away from the beat up old Chevy angrily. In a flash, his blonde friend was in front of him again, holding a knife extremely close to his neck.___

_"Goddamnit, Mariano. GET IN!" _

"Get in, Jess." Marks friendly, concerned tone broke into his revere. Jess shook it off and swallowed his pride. He allowed himself to be half carried into the vehicle.

Mark frowned at his brother, concern finding its way inside his chest and nesting there. He climbed into the back seat with Jess, getting as close as he could to him. Luke got in on the drivers side, and started the truck. They pulled away from the hospital.

End Chapter

R & R


	7. Homecoming

Chapter Seven Starts NOW

They helped Jess into his bed. He glanced around his room, and spotted the futon. He grinned up at Mark.

"Yeah-- I'm crashing in here with you from now on." He said it in a no nonsense way that Luke raised an eyebrow at.

"Just as long as you don't snore like you used to." Jess replied sharply. Used to. Mark nearly flinched. Jess and Mark had shared a room when they lived in New York- the house was too tiny for separate bedrooms. The only time they weren't sleeping in the same room was when Mark would just leave for a few months, and his last two year escapade.

"I've _never_ snored." Mark shot back. Jess let out a small chuckle to contradict that statement.

"Hey, why don't I eat something? Do we have any kind of food?" Jess asked, suddenly hungry for some non-hospital food.

"I, uh, bought some Frosted Flakes," Luke offered awkwardly. Jess looked at him gratefully.

"Could you.. Can I have a small bowl of that?" Jess asked, even more awkwardly than Luke had offered. He hated asking for things, and knew at that moment that he'd hate being waited on like this.

"Yeah, I'll go make it." Mark offered, leaving the room swiftly. Luke watched as Jess pushed himself into a more sitting position. He pulled out the paper back Mark had given him, and put it off to the side on the bed.

Suddenly, Rory, Mark, and Lorelai entered. Jess blinked at them owlishly. He felt himself suddenly get tired just looking at the over caffeinated girls.

"Hi Jess!" Rory chirped from a sort-of hiding place behind Lorelai. Jess gave her a small, guilty smile back. She had a pink cast on with an Emily the Strange sticker stuck on it. He stared at it.

"Hey, Jess." Lorelai said warmly. Jess stared at her for a long moment.

"You know Lorelai, just cos I was impaled and nearly killed doesn't mean you have to like me." Jess informed her slowly. Rory's eyes widened, as did Lorelai's.

"W-what?" The older Gilmore asked, stunned. Jess fiddled absently with the blankets edge. Lorelai looked into his eyes as he answered, nearly quivering in fear at the blank look in Jess's eyes.

"There was a kid named Jack in my grade school class." He said slowly, blankly. "He was a real asshole. Everyone hated him. And then one day, he dies from some rare infection. Suddenly, everyone pretends he wasn't an asshole. Pretending that he was like a real stand up gentleman, and talk about him like he was there friend and good buddy. I always thought that was strange. You're allowed to still hate me, Lorelai." He finished weakly. "I broke your daughter, for god's sake."

Lorelai stared at him, grasping for something to say. Luke stood silently stunned.

"I don't hate you, Jess." Lorelai said. "It's not because I'm not allowed to hate you. I just don't." Jess looked at her in understanding and nodded.

"Ok."

The Gilmore's stayed for a moment longer before Luke ushered them out, rambling about Jess's rest (or lack thereof). Once they left, Jess ate, alone, his small bowl of frosted flakes. He couldn't finish it. Mark took it to the sink for him, and he went to sleep shortly afterward.

(_Time Passage of Two Days_)

Luke watched as Mark paced back and forth in the kitchen. Jess's barely touched bowl sat in it, even after all this time. Jess had barely said two words after the 'Gilmore Incident'. Mark was worried sick. He ran a hand threw his hair.

"God. What's wrong with him? Was- I should have never left him. Oh god." Mark groaned, faced racked with guilt.

"What do you mean, left him?" Mark looked a bit sick.

"About two years ago, I left him to go after a job and a future. A nomadic style of living. He really needed me, and I let him down." He explained, lowering himself onto the couch finally. "I left him with Liz and that bastard Frank."

"Frank?"

"One of Liz's boyfriends. He pops up every so often, apologizing and they get back together." Mark coughed a little, looking away. "He was always a bit.. rough with Jess."

"_Rough_?" Luke asked angrily.

"You know.." Mark trailed off uncomfortably. "He got beat up a few times. He took the brunt of Franks anger. I was older than Jess, and Frank lay off me. I- a couple of times Jess-- he said that he was glad he got it so bad from Frank."

"Glad?" Luke asked, falling heavily into the seat next to him in shock.

"Well, yeah. Y'know, when he punched Jess around, he never touched Liz." Mark reflected. "No matter how bad she was to us, Jess always carries a torch for her."

"No way," Luke murmured incredulously, shaking his head. "No way in hell would Jess _ever _'carry a torch' for Liz. You should hear the way he talks about her." Luke denied swiftly.

"He does," Mark insisted firmly. He continued, his voice full of anguish and guilt. "The night I last left, two years ago, he faced down Frank. It was like he was suicidal or something. He was sort of heart broken. I was abandoning him again. And Frank smacked around Liz one to many times. Jess blew up, and beat the crap out of him. Frank beat the crap out of him, back. I left in the middle of it."

"Jeez," Luke muttered, putting his face in his hands.

End Chapter

R&R

i dont think

i will turn this into a lit as

of yet. a- i am bad at romances

b- aren't there enough lit's out there?

can't we just have a real jess-based story?


	8. Walk

Chapter Eight Starts NOW with a finally in Jess's POV chapter!

Jess lay in bed, staring at the clock. It had taken him two days to figure out Luke's pattern of 'wake up, shower, tea & news paper, open diner, check on Jess'. He woke up at exactly 6:15 am. Jess woke up a 4:45 am. Jess knew that all this laying around and barely eating anything was not going to help him get better, stronger. His jaw clenched. He _hated _being weak. Showing weakness was worse.

The green light from the digital clock showed the time turning from 4:44 to 4:45. Silently, Jess pulled a pair of clothes out from beneath his bed, the pair he had placed there the night before. As usual, he snuck quietly from the room, careful not to wake his brother, who was snoozing peacefully on the futon. Jess shut the door softly behind him.

He did an odd hoping-type motion that he did every morning for the past week (nearly two), past the living room and into the bathroom. After placing the clothes on the towel hanger, he grabbed three towels. The first, he hobbled to Luke's bedroom, the closest bedroom to the bathroom. He stuffed the towel in the cracks of the door. The second, he stuffed under the bathrooms door, and the third he placed on the showers side for easy grabbing action. Jess had been a thief before. He knew how to make a sound barrier when he need to.

He got undressed, showered, and dried off in the shower, careful not to leave any water on the floor. He hated having to hang his leg out like he did, but he couldn't get the cast wet and knew that putting a paper bag around it would make too much noise. Too much of a hassle. When he was done, he dressed carefully and exited the bathroom.

Jess's shoes were next to the couch. He put his right shoe on, grudgingly leaving his left one off. He _hated _not having shoes on in public. Jess wasn't sure why, but he was sure that the sight of his sock was a weakness that had to be eliminated. That was ok, anyway, because later that day they were going to saw the damned cast off anyway. He'd still have to use the crutches for another week or two, but the cast would be gone for good.

After achieving a tied shoe, which was painful seeing as how he had to lean forward to on his bad guts to do it, he stood and hobbled over to the closet. Opening it, he pulled on his leather jacket. No weakness, he thought idly as he pulled the collar out a little and tossed off his best bad ass scowl. The _rest_ of the world may be used to seeing him laying flat on his ass and disoriented - _weak _ - but not for long. Inside the closet were his crutches. He carefully removed them, and hobbled threw the apartment door.

Jess gently slid the crutches down the hand rail of the stairs, and they landed with an extremely soft _thunk_ on the floor of the diner. He hobbled down the stairs slowly, feeling no mercy for his pair of crutches. He hated them. Jess couldn't slouch correctly with them, his hands were never free to read a book, and his movement was limited. If he needed to run, he knew he couldn't. And that scared him a hell of a lot more than he thought possible. He picked the crutches up again and left the dinner. Before he was completely gone, he glanced at Luke's clock. Exactly 5:00 am. He grinned.

Jess Mariano was going for a walk around Stars Hallows main streets.

If there was one thing Jess Mariano didn't miss about New York City, it was the air.

In Stars Hallow, the air in the mornings were so fresh and crisp and clear. He had fallen in love with it. It made him want to quit smoking, and he almost did, except for the occasional lapse due to stress. Sometimes, he imagined going back to New York and not being able to breathe correctly there. He imagined it would be like breathing normally for six months and then trying to breathe with a sock stuffed in your mouth. He was positive he would choke and die if he ever set foot back in the city.

The sun was rising over the horizon, and he hobbled to the bridge to watch it. He sat down heavily on the wood. It was gorgeous, and the skyline, smoky New York version paled in comparison. The colors were vivid here, and he loved the red and pink and orange that met him.

_Creak_. "Oh- sorry." Jess glanced over his shoulder. On the edge of the bridge was a leggy blonde girl. She wore no make up and her hair shined in the orange glow of the morning. She had sky blue pajama bottoms with little cows on them, and sandals. "I didn't know anyone else came here." She turned and began to walk away.

"No, it's ok." Jess called to her. She gave him a small smile and came back. She sat next to him. "I'm Jess."

"Shane," She muttered, pulling out a medium sized black sketchbook and a pack of colored pencils.

"As in 'come back'?" He asked.

"Oh, god. If I here another _Shane _reference_, I'm gonna lose it." _She growled. "Can't anyone come up with something original to say?" Jess smirked.

"Have you lived here long? I don't think I recognize you."

"About a year. And you probably wouldn't, since my face is usually permanently attached to some jerks'."

"You don't take me as the dumb blonde smut type," Jess commented, glancing out onto the lake.

"Well, I'm the blonde slut in the same way your the New York bad-ass." She said, looking up at the sunset and back to the paper, sketching away. "It's our facade, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jess said quietly, looking at the sky again.

"It's a hell of a lot easier than being who you are." Shane said slowly. "This way…you're untouchable." Jess didn't reply.

Their conversation continued for a while.

"I haven't seen you in a while," She commented. "I recognize you from Stars Hallow High, but you haven't been to school lately, and now that it's been let out, I haven't seen you once."

"I only get out in the morning," He informed her.

"That'd explain it." Shane replied. "I come here during the day. Yesterday I stayed long enough to see the sunset, and knew I had to come back to see it rise."

Jess stared at the orange glow that stretched before them.

"You're good." He commented, glancing over her drawing and then back at the sunrise.

"I know," She muttered, then looked up at him and smiled. He smirked back. They watched the rest of it rise together in silence.

"Let's go for a walk, now that the sun's up. I won't be able to get out again for 24 hours, anyway." Jess stood. He tried to lean down again to get his crutches, and bit back a hiss of pain. She handed them up to him silently, and he accepted them.

They walked silently threw the quiet town.

"Isn't the quiet... eerie?" Shane asked. She was from Detroit, and used to lots of noise, too.

"Very." He murmured. "It feels like everyone's dead." She nodded. They turned left on Peach Street, back towards the diner. He took her wrist in his hand and tilted it to look at her watch. 5:58. Perfect. They stopped in front of the diner.

"Bye," Shane asked. Jess nodded. They departed.

Jess slid back into the diner, in a pleasant mood for the first time in a while. He looked up to see the clock, and the sight that greeted him was definitely not a clock.

"_Where the hell have you been_!"

End

well? R & R please!

it wont be a Shane/jess

just a one scene type deal that

will help us learn a bit more about jess, hopefully.

yes, it is the summer and Rory is currently in D.C.

2 more chapters left! I've got them all typed up and will

post them in the early night hours over the next three days.

I mean, I'd like to post them all at once, but I am a review whore.


	9. Sorry

Chapter Nine Starts Now, With Jess being in deep trouble.

"Where the hell have you been?" _That _sounds familiar, doesn't it? A voice in his head asked Jess. Internally, he chuckled dryly. He wondered vaguely if he was insane when he replied:

"Out,'' He said shortly.

"Oh no, no way in hell am I letting you off with that half assed response again!" Luke shouted. Jess kept himself steady, forced himself to not flinch. No weakness.

"Sorry," Jess breathed. He felt his hands shake worse than normal as they gripped his crutches. Mark, who had woken up early to get a glass of water that morning, exploded.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Mark growled. "Do you have _any_ idea what it's like to wake up and find you _gone_?"

"Yeah, I think I have an idea," Jess shot back. "Sorry if I'm not as good at disappearing as you are." Jess regretting the comment instantly, and Mark flinched.

Jess's 'run' instinct came at him in full force. He was being ambushed. He felt guilty and overwhelmed and had no idea what to do next.

Run run run run runrunrunrunrunrunrun--

Jess took off, despite his crutches. He made it to the door before Mark was in front of him, gripping his shoulders, trying to make him meet his eyes. Jess refused to stubbornly. Jess tried to push past him, but Mark's grip held firm. He suddenly wanted to die. Instead, he buried his face in Mark's chest in defeat.

He felt Mark's grip on his shoulders loosen, and instead arms wrapping around his shoulders, bringing Jess into a sudo-hug, and buried his face in Jess's hair. Jess wanted to stay like forever. "I'm sorry, too." Mark whispered before releasing him.

Jess walked to the counter with Mark's arm draped across his shoulder and sat down on a stool. Mark sat next to him. He sighed.

"You won't let me leave. Ever. I need exercise. I won't get better unless I'm allowed out. So I snuck out. For the past two weeks, almost, I've been going out for a walk in the morning." Jess told them. His whole figure was hunched and shaking. Luke sighed.

"From now on, you can leave, if you feel up to it." Luke muttered. "But only on the condition that you tell us, and have someone with you when you go. If you collapse or something.."

Jess's eyes, still downcast, widened. Oh. Luke was worried about him. Oh!

So this was one of those epiphany moments he'd heard so much about. Luke was worried about him. Not just what he was capable of, or what havoc he was wreaking on Luke's life, or how he would get rid of him. Just worried for his, Jess Mariano's, welfare. He looked up at Luke and smiled hesitantly.

"Ok."

"C'mon, let's get you some coffee." Luke made fixed them some drinks, and they drank together. Mark was so quiet. Jess winced mentally.

"Mark. I'm sorry about.. what I said before. I didn't mean it." Jess apologized with a sigh.

"I had it coming. It was all true. I abandoned you, Jess. More than once. How can you stand to look at me?" Mark asked, his voice cracking. Jess hugged him fiercely, and Mark returned the gesture.

End

one more chapter

-an epilogue


	10. Epilogue

Chapter Ten Starts NOW

_Frank hit Jess in the head with his hardback copy of Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises. Frank loved the book to death, and had caught 11 year old Jess looking at the cover on Frank's bedside table one morning in the tiny apartment. He hit him again, a little harder, and Jess saw stars._

_But then, a laugh. Uncontrollable and joyous burst from Jess's mouth._

_"You think this is funny? Huh?" Jess laughed harder, the response in that laughter being, yes, he thought it was funny. Another smack, rapidly followed by another. _

_That one hurt! Jess hit the floor with his knees, still laughing. He was dizzy, and couldn't breath from the chuckling that had overtaken him. He grinned up at Frank as his head hit the floor._ _Frank stared sourly at the boy before kicking him once in the gut. He tossed the hard back across the room. It hit the wall and sank slowly to the ground. Frank grabbed his duffel bag and left. _

_Jess couldn't see for a good five minutes, but he could hear. His mother was arguing with Frank- urging him to stay. Frank refused. A door slammed. Jess laughed lightly. Just as his vision cleared, a glass beer bottle came flying at his head. It missed and smashed into the wall a few feet away, shattering. _

_"Read anything good lately, Jess?" She snarled. She kicked weakly at him, tears streaming down her face. "I hate you." She left. Jess laughed._

_He sobered up after a while, and slowly crawled across the floor._ _He stared at the book. It reeked of alcohol and cigars. He picked it up with a strange gentleness. He hardly read anything. Just what they made him read in school, which wasn't much. _

_Jess took the book back to his room. It was early in the morning, and Mark was pretending to be asleep on the bed across from his. Jess knew full well that Mark had heard the entire incident, even if Mark was just going to act surprised when Liz would drunkenly inform him in an hour that Frank had left, and that it was all Jess's fault. He opened it to the first page._

"_Robert Cohn was once a middleweight boxing champion of Princeton. _Do not think that I am very much impressed by that as a boxing title, but it meant a lot to Cohn.''

Jess leaned casually against the counter in Luke's diner, reading an old hardback copy of The Sun Also Rises. It reeked of alcohol and cigars.

Mark was having lunch with Lane Kim a few feet away, and they were arguing about the Velvet Underground. Mark had moved out of Philadelphia, and had an apartment with Lane, since the girl was kicked out upon her mother's discovery of her involvement with her rock band. He was currently working at the music shop where Lane had bought her drums.

Luke was flirting with Lorelai at her table about coffee not too far from the other couple.

The door opened and a bell rung. Jess glanced up as Rory Gilmore flew in threw the door.

"Jess! Look at you! You're all better!" She exclaimed, giving him a once over.

_Yes, I am._

She grinned. Here he was, standing on his two feet. Whole again.

"I see you're back from Washington." Jess stated casually, slouching a little so his leather jacket moved upward, and raised an eyebrow. She grinned and nodded affirmative. Yes, she was back. He leaned forward and said:

"Read anything good lately?"

End


End file.
